As we head towards Green UNISON week, which runs from 15-22 September this year, it’s the ideal time to start planning.
Green UNISON week is a chance to raise awareness of green issues nationally and locally, plan activities to encourage and enable members to get more active and to celebrate all the things they are already doing in support of the green agenda – not just in work but anywhere.
There are many things that you could do to mark the week – here are just a few ideas.
Hold a UNISON green event
You could run a lunchtime stall in the canteen, show a film or arrange a talk. Why not invite a speaker from a nearby environmental campaigning organisation to come along? Ask people to make personal – or team – green pledges, such as committing to create less waste, to recycling targets, green office practices (less printing, switching from plastic to cardboard folders etc) anything green.
Promote our Green UNISON week webinars to your colleagues
Two webinars are being planned this year – there’ll be more details in the coming weeks.
Run a green workplace training activity
Talk to your UNISON learning rep and look into running a lunchtime activity session for green reps and members who’d like to learn more.
Run a green survey
Ask your friends and colleagues for ideas on how to ‘green up’ your workplace. Get people involved and offer a prize or raffle.
Find out what your employer is doing to reduce their environmental impact
Ask your employer to share this information with UNISON and consider how you could bring climate change commitments onto the bargaining agenda.
Find out if your UNISON branch has an environment rep
If not, encourage your branch and any interested members to get involved and become green reps.
A downloadable poster and leaflet are now available here and here respectively.
Set up a local green network
You can find other colleagues who share your concerns about climate change and let Green UNISON week be your springboard into starting a new green union network where you work that can link to the regional and national networks for support and to share ideas.
Sustainable healthcare – why greening the NHS matters for us all
Haley Pinto from the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare recently gave a talk to health group members interested in this area. It was a clear and comprehensive round up of the impact of the climate crisis on our health and on the NHS, including some of the initiatives that are already happening and many that need to happen urgently.
UNISON thinks all members would benefit from this engaging presentation and has persuaded her to do it all again as part of the scheduled activities.
This will take place on Monday 25 September, 12:30-1:30pm. You can register now here.
Find out more about UNISON’s green work here.
The article Get set for Green UNISON week first appeared on the UNISON National site.